Verdant Love
by EdgeMaster025
Summary: Tiki is rescued from Gharnef's spell, and she meets the Archanean League. They're all a fine howdy doo, but one particular Paladin stands out to her... A certain green-haired paladin... TikiAbel
1. Ch1: Dragon Girl Meets Paladin Boy

A/N: Well for some reason ever since I got Tiki in _Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon_ I've seen her to be paired with a certain cavalier/paladin. I don't know why I thought of it but I'm glad I did. So here we go~

Verdant Love

Chapter One: (Dragon) Girl Meets (Paladin) Boy

_Life sure changes quickly. Things can be bad, then good, then bad, and good very quickly. People lie. Some people lie just for personal gain. The full-blood humans have no problem with that._

These and other thoughts ran through the chartreuse-haired girl's head. In her world, everyone she knew had been taken from her. Gharnef had poisoned her mind with lies. The worst of them all: that her Ban-Ban had abandoned her.

That was before the Archanean League came for her. Bantu delivered her from her trance, and he introduced her to the League.

"You must be Tiki! I am Minerva. It is an honor to meet you, even in these troubled times. We sorely need your help."

"Oh, you're… younger than I expected! I-I'm Lena, the Sage*… it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Wow, never thought I would meet a real life divine dragon. Jeorge's the name, archery's my game."

"You must be Tiki. Bantu told me about you. I'm Marth, it's an honor to meet you."

But one soldier in particular stood out to Tiki.

"Young madam, I am Abel, of the house of Altea, vassal to Prince Marth and Princess Elice. I must say, you are quite pretty for one so young. I am saddened by the story of the extinction of your clan, and wish to say if there is anything I can do for you, do not tarry, ask."

Tiki smiled, overjoyed at his introduction. "Thank you, Abe-Abe!"

"Er… 'Abe-Abe'?"

Tiki had already nicknamed Marth "Mar-Mar" and thought her style of nicknaming was appropriate for his entire group, but Abel didn't seem to enjoy it.

"Oh, I'm sorry… Abel."

Abel chuckled. "It's all right, you just caught me off guard. Not even Cain called me that. I rather like the name… er, Ti-Ti."

Tiki blinked, and began laughing, Abel soon joining her.

And so the bond between kind paladin and the divine dragoness was formed. One that would flourish into something beautiful. There was a major catalyst to this growth. At Dolhr Keep.

Tiki had been marching with the League to Medeus's throne room, cautious of the enemy units around her, marking each one in her internal compass… but she had missed one. A ballistician launched a Pachyderm bolt at her from afar, and by the time she saw it, it was too late to avoid it. Tiki panicked and raised her arms in self-defense, not having enough time to shift to her dragon form either. Her doom was nigh. She waited for the hit…

But it never came.

Tiki opened her eyes, and saw Abel in front of her, smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Abe-Abe…"

Abel's face suddenly flashed in a wince of pain, and he turned slightly. Tiki gasped in horror. There was a ballista bolt implanted squarely in his lower back, on the right side. Luckily for Abel, it would not have hit any vital organs, but blood loss was another problem entirely.

"Abe-Abe!! Y-y-your back!"

"Gheh…" Abel coughed roughly, blood trickling down from his mouth, a very bad sign: it meant some blood vessel in his stomach, though not torn by the bolt, had been ruptured by impact. The same would be true for a vessel on his lungs. If too much blood pooled in his lungs, he would literally drown in his own blood. "It hurts, but I'll be okay." Classic denial of injury.

"Let me give you a vulnerary…" Tiki hurriedly grabbed a vulnerary from her bag and gave it to Abel. He drank the curative potion, which clotted his wound after Abel yanked the bolt out of his body. One last spurt of blood shot from his closing wound after he removed the invasive weapon, and then it was sealed.

Tiki jumped up to hug Abel, and he caught her reflexively. He hugged her back warmly.

"Thank you, Abe-Abe. You saved my life."

"Don't worry about it, Tiki. It's what I do. I'm not going to leave you behind, I promise."

Tiki smiled and kissed his cheek, hopping back down to the castle floor, to resume the campaign against Medeus.

Since then, Tiki had grown excessively fond of Abel. When he volunteered to challenge Medeus with Marth, Tiki was not thrilled.

"Abe-Abe! You can't challenge Mede-za [see footer notes, 1]! He'll kill you! Please don't go!" Her eyes began to mist up with tears.

Abel dismounted Adam, his horse (a rare gesture), and kneeled by Tiki.

"Tiki… I have to. Besides. I said I wouldn't leave you behind, and I won't. I'll be back, I promise. This isn't just my decision. I must do it to ensure a future for Altea… I must do it because I am in Marth's service… and I wish to secure a future for you too. You had your entire world taken from you, and I want to see you growing up in a peaceful world, one without the strife Medeus has caused." He hugged Tiki, stroking her back gently with his gauntleted hand.

Tiki continued crying, but it was less forceful, slowing down. She sobbed and hugged Abel back. She truly didn't want him to leave, but deep down she knew he had to, that it was for the best. That didn't make it any easier though.

"Please come back safe, Abe-Abe."

"I will." Abel rode into Medeus's throne room with Marth, hefting the lance regalia of Archanea, Gradivus.

Tiki tried to calm herself by talking to Lena, who had also been hurt by the same ballistician that wounded Abel (Minerva gleefully carved up that ballistician with her Brave Ax).

"Hello, Le-Le. Are you okay?"

Lena smiled. "Yes. It hurts, but I'm okay now. How're you holding up?"

Tiki frowned downwardly. "Abe-Abe went to fight Mede-za. I really hope he'll be okay. I can't imagine him not being here." She looked down, depressed.

Lena put her hand on Tiki's shoulder. "He's a smart man. Hardy, too. I'm sure Medeus doesn't stand a chance. Marth went too, and I don't want him to go either, but I know that he's been chosen by fate to win. He has to come back. And Abel does too."

Tiki sniffed and placed her hands adoringly and receptively on Lena's. Tiki thought of Lena as a big sister, and she looked up to her. So she calmed down again.

"Thanks, Le-cha [2]. You always know what to say to help me feel better."

"You're welcome, Ti-chi [3] (Tiki had taught the League some basic phrases and suffixes from her native tongue)."

Tiki sat on the ground, rolling her Divinestone from hand to hand to pass the time…

About 15 minutes later, Abel and Marth came back outside the throne room. Marth was bleeding from a gash in his left abdominal region, and Abel clutched his right arm, which was clearly broken. Elice and Gotoh, the bishop healers, were on them in an instant with some Mend spells.

"Abe-Abe!!" Tiki shouted, running up to him. "You're okay! … except for the arm…" She reflexively handed him another vulnerary, which Abel took and swigged. Tiki glanced over and saw Marth being hugged by Lena, so Tiki hopped on Adam's back and hugged Abel from behind. Abel smiled, reaching back with his good arm and holding her close with it.

Tiki could feel the bond growing, and began mentally toying with thoughts of a life spent with Abel…

Months after the fall of Medeus, Abel, fully healed, was riding Adam through Altea, keeping the peace. He had broken up a minor altercation over the prices at a shop, and he was on his way back home to the castle. Abel liked to talk at Adam as he rode. Adam enjoyed the pleasant noise his master made, and Abel was… erm, able… to tell his inner feelings and thoughts without fear of judgment.

"It's too bad Shiida was killed by those Macedonian archers. Marth had a thing for her, I could tell. Lena seems to have jumped on the opportunity and comforted Marth, though… Everyone went home after the battle. Minerva and Palla returned to Macedon, Ymir went back to Grust, and Tiki and Bantu to wherever the heck it is they live. I kind of miss that girl. She was so nice…" Abel continued like this for about a minute, until he was suddenly grabbed and lifted bodily from Adam. He dropped Gradivus in transit, and Adam panicked for a second, then stopped, as if seeing no threat.

Whatever had grabbed him seemed to be holding him close to it. Almost like a…

… a hug…

Abel looked at the thing holding him. It was white, and Abel recognized it instantly.

"Tiki!!"

A/N: Well, there's chapter one. Won't be too many more, I just felt like that was a good place to stop so I could publish it.

* I reclassed Lena in my game from Cleric to Mage, so she's an offensive character now (but as a Sage she can still use staff magic such as Fortify).

1 "-za" is a draconian suffix (that I made up, like all the others) used to indicate a very mean or evil person

2 "-cha" is a suffix meaning "older sister"

3 "-chi" is a suffix meaning "younger sister"


	2. Ch2: Better Than a Bearhug

A/N: Chapter Two is here! I touched up Chapter One (since I didn't know that would strip the superscripts of that status) and here comes Chapter Two! Touch of foreshadowing this time 'round!

Chapter Two: Better Than a Bearhug

Tiki, in her white-as-snow dragon form, held Abel close to her. So close, in fact, that Abel could hear her heartbeat. It was calm, but powerful, soothing yet passionate. Tiki folded her wings in front of herself so as to cover Abel in a warmer embrace. Abel couldn't help but blush. He felt a profound sense of safety, ironically in the warmth of this child's arms. He was adept at combat enough so as not to be gravely damaged by the ravages, both mental and physical, of war, but Tiki's enclosure around him was the safest he'd _ever_ felt.

"I finally found you!" exclaimed Tiki.

"How long were you looking?" asked Abel.

"Months, Abe-Abe." Tiki loosened her grip on him, setting him back on Adam gently. "Mar-Mar showed me where to find you when I ran into him at Talys." She returned to her human form, but keeping her white wings.

"I see… Why did you seek me out, Tiki?" asked Abel.

There it was. The big question. Tiki knew it was coming, and had been thinking about how to answer it since she started looking. As much time as she had to muse on it, she still wasn't sure how she felt. She just knew in her heart she had to find him. So for now, she decided to let her emotions dictate her speech, rather than her mind.

"Well, I really missed you, Abe-Abe, and I kept thinking about you… and I couldn't take being away from you anymore… so I fl-flew here and I looked for you, and—"

Tiki stopped because she was unable to speak further. She would have, but something was blocking her mouth. It took her a second before she identified the obstruction.

It was Abel's lips, pressed softly against hers. Tiki blushed hard. Abel wasn't particularly dominant in his kiss, rather letting Tiki proceed further if she wanted. For some reason, this fact that he let her be in control pleased her to no end. Perhaps it was her heritage as a dragon, natural dominance of whatever room or environment they happen to occupy feeding her the love of control. Maybe it was because she knew he would keep her safe that way, at her request and this was proof of her ability to make such a request.

Whatever it was, it was intoxicatingly inviting. So, with a slight tinge of nervousness in the back of her mind, but instinct driving her forward, she returned his kiss. Her fondest wish was coming true, but why?

Abel pulled away after a minute. "It's been obvious since we met. Your smiles, stammering, desire to be at my side… obvious."

Tiki wasn't sure whether to curse her lack of subtlety, obsess her mind with fantasies about his liplock embrace, or respond. So her brain, unable to decide, triggered a laugh response. Abel laughed a bit as well, assuming she was happy.

Tiki's eyes wandered past Abel, then widened in shock.

"Abe-Abe, look out!" She jumped to Abel, swung around him to his backside, and grunted in pain. Abel turned around to see a rogue knight with a killer lance, which was presently embedded in Tiki's left arm and right shoulder (she had it crossed over her chest in self-defense). The lance was stuck in her, and the knight could not extricate it. Abel took the chance and, as a javelin, flung Gradivus at the knight. The knight fell with one hit.

Luckily, Tiki's thick skin (even in human form) saved her much injury, but it still hurt like hell, to describe it in words Tiki wouldn't use readily. Jeorge might've, though, and Tiki had learned her share of profanities from the sniper. Abel handed her a vulnerary. He pulled the lance out of her body slowly as he could as she drank the potion. The lance came out with resistance, but the vulnerary clotted the wound.

"I guess we're even," Abel chuckled. Tiki, in an effort to distract herself from the injury, laughed with him. "Thanks. You've made me safe twice now."

Tiki noted not only the number, but his odd phrasing of words. It would have been smoother to say "saved me" rather than "made me safe".

She blinked. "Twice? But Abe-ame— er, Abe-Abe, I protected you but once."

Abel knew what "-ame" meant. It meant "my cherished love".

"Well, there was that lance attack just now, but also… when you held me in dragon form… I could not help a feeling of safety…"

To the uncontextual, recently-arriving observer, for a seasoned paladin to tell a young girl he felt safe because of her was absolutely ludicrous. But look below the surface and you would find the paladin's gentle soul, as well as fierce devotion and determination, and passion, within the breast of the girl.

"Thank you, Abe-a— eh, Abe-Abe." She shuffled uncomfortably. "But… erm… good friends though we are… I'm a manakete and you're a full-blooded human… we're too different, we can't be together… as _close friends_, I mean… If only there were some way to make you a dragon…"

But that was impossible, right?

A/N: Well, there it is. Shorter than before, but consider the first chapter a long one, because the next few are as short as this. Sorry, I tend to break up chapters that way. Not to artificially inflate the number of chapters, I swear, but because some places are good chapter breaks.

As Abel's thoughts indicated, "-ame" is a suffix I made up to indicate love. Tiki used it but stuttered, remember that. She's not sure. Even with the kiss.

I hardly wrote anything down on paper about that kiss too, but on the computer I just had to include more of it. Aren't you glad?

Oh, and Camus fans (one of them addressed me), he isn't necessarily dead. He just lost Gradivus is all, to a thief perhaps (Julian?). I'm intentionally leaving that ambiguous, as well as why Marth was in Talys. (Just so you know, in my Shadow Dragon game, Shiida/Caeda was killed like in Chapter 6. Personally I'm MarthxLena but I'm not going to go against other shippings.)

Review, and keep them constructive, please!


	3. Ch3:Whatever Remains, However Improbable

A/N: Two chapters for the price of one? Well I had some time to kill, so I added this one to my queue.

So without further ado, away we go!

Chapter Three: Whatever Remains, However Improbable…

Tiki was happy now. This was because Minerva had come to visit, on business as an emissary from Macedon to Altea. She only happened upon Abel and Tiki by chance, and, after a briefing to their dilemma, offered a solution.

"_You seek a method to convert a human to a manakete?" She adjusted the saddle on Shiirken, her dragon mount and turned back toward the two. "There is a rumor of one method for doing it artificially. A bard of Macedon sang of it. If I remember, you take the blood of a half-dragon, coat a hot knife with it and impale the subject with the knife. All you would need is a donor."_

_Tiki caught Minerva's looks toward her._

"_You mean me, right?"_

"_You or Bantu. I think yours would be more effective, because you're of royal and divine blood."_

_Abel was conspicuously silent. He was looking away, uncomfortable with something._

"_Something wrong, Abe-ame?" Tiki asked gently. Abel noticed she did not stutter this time, or recant the suffix._

"_What? Oh, nothing, Tiki. I was just… considering something. Nothing of consequence." Abel smiled, but a hint of uncertainty remained in his face…_

So now they had a method. Minerva agreed to perform and supervise the procedure, and to dress the wound. Tiki was the lucky one. All she had to endure was a slight prick on the thumb with a sterile knife. She obliged, and her crimson blood dripped onto a preheated knife, viscosity allowing it to adhere to the knife.

"That didn't even hurt!" she remarked happily, suckling on the pricked finger, as if to drink her own blood. Which Minerva suspected she was.

"Yes, but the same is not true for Abel, sad to say." Minerva had strapped Abel down to a bed using leather bindings, so he would not thrash about if his system was overwhelmed. His left shoulder was exposed and unclothed.

Abel still had a look of discomfort on his face. Something was addling his brain. His shoulder muscles were tensed, clearly visible.

Minerva took notice, and cautioned him: "For god's sake, Abel, relax. Tensing your muscles will only worsen the pain. You could die from this, I suppose, is that your worry?"

Abel winced, then was calm.

"No, it's not."

Minerva checked his expression for signs of falsehood. There were none. But perhaps she had just asked the wrong question. She decided that digging deeper would waste valuable time. The knife was cooling down, still red hot, but the glow had begun to fade. She tore a fold from her garments and tied it in a large knot, and gave it to Abel.

"Bite down on this. I'll not have you messing up my concentration with screams of pain."

Abel obeyed, clamping his teeth down on the cloth. Minerva compressed Abel's skin on his shoulder, causing the vein to dilate enough that it was more visible. This would allow her to aim, and also facilitate the infused blood's integration into the rest of his body. Minerva pointed the tip of the knife at the enlarged vein.

"On three. Don't tense. One… Two…"

Abel swallowed one last time, trying to remain lax. But his body betrayed him, almost: every muscle _except_ his shoulder tensed.

"Three." Minerva plunged the knife into Abel as smoothly but quickly as she could. Abel let out a muffled scream, and he struggled against his restraints. He began to cold sweat, and his face flushed red. Tiki took his right hand to comfort him, and he calmed slightly. At least it seemed to Tiki like it. Might have been wishful thinking mixed into a delusion.

The blood infusion caused the skin around the wound to distort, but that might have simply been a response to the knife's heat. Minerva removed the knife and Abel's struggles calmed to a stop. All the blood that was on the knife had been left in Abel's bloodstream, and no new blood had been on it, as the knife cauterized the wound.

Minerva allowed Abel a minute to recover from his ordeal, then asked, "How do you feel, Abel?"

Abel spat out the gag.

"Okay… I think… considering you just stabbed and burned me. Why did the knife have to be hot?"

"To make sure you didn't lose any blood, whether yours or Tiki's. It leaves a burned scab over the wound. Basically it's rapid blood clotting. Supposedly, within a few minutes, you should be changed, or so the song goes."

They waited several minutes…

Silence…

Then…

"It's not working," said Tiki, dismayed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: All that for nothing. Oh well, eh? Better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all. At least they're all still alive.

The dragon blood infusion method was inspired by a number of stories I've read, but there's a reason it failed. Consider the color of the blood that came from Tiki's finger…

I leave you with that thought.

Review please!


	4. Ch4: Isn't Necessarily the Truth

A/N: Chapter Four! We're moving right along!

Anyways, this is le chapter four. We delve into why the infusion failed last time. I'll not stall any longer… Let's go~

Chapter Four: … Isn't Necessarily the Truth

Minerva mused over the results. _The method sung of in legend had failed. Why? _She reflected on each step. _The blood? No, we certainly had dragon blood. The knife, some contaminant preventing success? No, I sterilized it, I'm sure. Introduction of the new blood? I hit the vein precisely. So what, then?_

Abel covered his burn wound with a cloth and tied the cloth on. Tiki rubbed his back.

"There, there, Abe-ame." "-ame" again.

"I'm fine, Tiki. But I don't understand why it didn't work." Secretly, Abel was relieved. He wasn't sure why, though. "I really wanted to be a dragon with you," he lied, or so he thought. Minerva noted his facial expression suspiciously. "But it didn't work, obviously…"

"Why not, though?" asked Tiki.

"Only one way to find out," answered Minerva. "We need a manakete textbook on the subject. Might you have any back with Bantu?"

"Actually, I have one with me Ban-Ban lent me so that I could show Abel… it's mythology on how manaketes came to be. Our history, so to speak. Why?"

Minerva twisted her booted foot into the dirt in idle movement. "Well, could I see it?"

"Sure, Min-Min." Tiki pulled it from her pack. It was titled _Manakete Mythology: The Nara's Origins_, as Tiki translated it.

"Would you please translate part of the book, Tiki?" asked Abel, rubbing his wound tenderly.

"Certainly, Abe-Abe!" She opened the book, written in runes, consisting mostly of straight lines in different arrangements. As Tiki read, Abel tried to match runes to letters of English, and surprisingly, every rune seemed to have an English counterpart. One rune, which looked like a capital M, seemed to be E. Another, shaped like X, was G, and so on. Abel slowly learned the runic dragon script.

"Once, there were humans and dragons on this earth, though no emissary, no contact existed between them. The dragons grew bored and decided to accost and torment the humans, stealing for themselves coin and concubine, wealth and women alike. The dragons meant no explicit harm, they were simply lacking entertainment, but this went without being understood, lacking as there was an emissary between the two races.

"So the humans crafted a magical blade, and, as a group, slew the dragon.

"The blade, still fresh with the dragon's chartreuse blood, was then used in self-defense. The dragonslayer's comrade had sympathized with the dragon after its slaughter, and, in an act of vengeance, assaulted the dragonslayer. The dragonslayer thrust the blade through his crazed companion, but no sound of impalement, no scream of agony, no indication of injury was heard.

"The impaled fellow pulled himself off the blade and walked calmly to the dying dragon and whispered to him words in a strange, reptilian tongue. The dragon replied in kind, and with an understanding smile, passed into the void.

"The fellow reached into the dragon's mouth and removed a white and gold stone, returned to the slayer, and thanked him, for the 'building of the bridge'. He walked away. The slayer and his company looked at one another, confused, hoping someone else had an answer. When no answer came, they all turned back toward the strange fellow, but he was gone, replaced seemingly by a white dragon, flying away in the same direction.

"The fellow who had been impaled by the dragonslaying sword was the first of the manaketes, the half-blood race. Days afterwards, the dragonslayer found the manakete and delivered the blade, which he had named Falchion, to the manakete. He apologized, but the manakete denied the apology. Instead, the manakete thanked the dragonslayer once again. When he asked for what, the manakete replied 'Why, for allowing understanding to bloom between your race and that of the dragons. You have laid the foundation of peace. I can see by the look on your face you are troubled by the dragon you slew. Do not worry, for he has forgiven you, knowing that his death has allowed me to stand as the bridge between you. We thank you for your actions, for however accidentally, you have laid a most sacred foundation.'"

Abel and Minerva had listened intently to the story. Abel had removed his boots and was lying with his back against a sleeping Adam, and Minerva fed Shiirken an apple.

"That was quite a long story," Abel remarked, "but very interesting."

Minerva adjusted her leather undershirt (she had removed her armor) and spoke.

"So that's it?" she asked bluntly. "Seems we had several problems with our previous procedure. Number one, we used Tiki's crimson human blood, instead of her green dragon blood. It needs purifying. Two, we only used a mundane dagger. We need to borrow Falchion. Evidence of our mistake is given by the pain Abel felt."

"So let's go ask Mar-Mar if we can borrow Falchion!" exclaimed Tiki. "Abe-Abe, you'll be a manakete!"

Abel smiled, but deep down, he knew something was wrong. His stomach growled and gurgled anxiously.

A/N: I made that myth up on my own. Well, mostly. And I think this, I discovered after writing, contradicts the history given in FE:SD (which, if memory serves, states that it was backwards, that manaketes came first) but oh well. A myth is a myth for a reason, it borrows true facts from history but distorts them to make them entertaining.

Review, all you beautiful people~!


	5. Ch5: Of Manaketes and Men

A/N: Chapter Five! I never expected this thing to be this long. I thought it'd stop around three. Really, I did.

Anyways, they go to Marth! Whoopee!

… I'm gonna stop now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Five: Of Manaketes and Men

"Human-manakete transmutation, you say?" mused Marth. He sat on his throne, hoping this new development could draw him out of the recent boredom he struggled through. Though the war was a terrible thing, and many great men of promise had been killed, Marth still yearned for combat. Call it a vice, call it primal instinct, it was still there, like a splinter in his mind, driving him mad.

"Yes, Mar-Mar. It's so Abe-Abe and I can be closer friends with one another," answered Tiki.

"I see." Marth rose from the throne. Elice, Marth's sister, and only surviving family (father betrayed by Gra and mother slain by Morzas the mage-dragon), shared the throne with him, as queen. Though they were not married, because Marth had no heirs, he had asked Elice to reign with him, and she became his queen consort. She listened intently as the others spoke.

"And Abel," asked Marth, "how do you feel about all this?"

Abel glanced at Tiki, who was smiling happily, expecting his affirmative.

"I'm pleased that Tiki has offered me the love she has, formally or otherwise, and honored that she has invited me to join her kind. I have… no reservations against this." Abel inclined his head to indicate that he was done.

"Excuse me, Your Highness," interjected Minerva. "I must speak with Abel in private. It's important."

Marth had almost forgotten that the Macedonian princess was there. She had a habit of keeping her silence, only speaking up if something was important, or if spoken to directly.

"Of course, Princess," he replied.

Minerva took Abel's arm, forcefully pulling him into a nearby corridor. She pinned his shoulders to the wall and stared into his eyes with a determined, piercing glare.

"You're lying. You've been lying this whole damn time." Minerva spoke as a mother would to a son she was disappointed with.

"Wh-what?" stuttered Abel, trying to look away.

"Fess up. You don't want to be a manakete."

It was not a question. It was a statement of fact, and, as Abel knew, a deadly accurate one.

"I'm not entirely sure why, but it's almost like it's too big a change for me. Would you ask a pure-blooded dragon to become a halfling, stain his blood with that of a human? Certainly not. So, and I wish it weren't so, I can't control it, but I can't bring myself to become a half-blood!

"I want to see Tiki happy, to be with her, and protect her. For some reason that's all I feel in my heart, a desire to guard, watch over and raise her. As far as I can tell, she's only about eight anyway."

Minerva loosened her grip, and Abel continued.

"But my instinct won't let me accept this transformation. I can't do it! I just can't, don't you see? I can't! I want to, I have to, I need to, but I just can't!!!" Abel was shaking, tears welling up in his eyes. He collapsed forward, crying, and Minerva caught him. She herself understood his pain, familiar as she was with heart vs. instinct conflict. She had struggled with the same problem herself with her late brother Michalis, former king of Macedon, whom she had slain herself.

"Abel…" She rubbed his back. "You have a difficult road ahead of you." Abel got up from Minerva's embrace. "You need to decide. Which is more important to you as a whole… your natural blood purity, your instinct…"

Abel wiped the tears from his face.

"… or Tiki, and your heart?" finished Minerva. She began to walk back to the throne room. "Think long and hard, confront your baser instincts. When you're ready, we'll be in the throne room."

And with that, she was gone. Abel remained against the wall, seriously pondering the dilemma: instinct, or Tiki?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Minerva returned to the throne room, to Marth, Elice, and Tiki. Tiki was sitting on Elice's lap, getting her hair combed and brushed by the Altean queen.

"Goodness, don't you dragons take care of your bodies?" asked Elice, being as gentle as possible. "This is like a brambled ivy grove. And the split ends," she moaned.

Marth and Tiki laughed at Elice's playful whining.

"Sorry, Elici," said Tiki. "We don't really pay too much attention. It's not as worrisome a social custom with us as it is with you. But I do enjoy the grooming. Very much appreciated!"

Minerva approached Marth.

"Lord Marth, I've spoken to Abel and left him to consider something personally, but I feel you should be made aware of the problem. If you would accompany me, I will explain."

Marth rose from his throne.

"Very well, Minerva. I would like to hear what troubles Abel." Marth started towards Minerva.

"I'll tell you myself," said Abel, entering. "Tiki, could you and Elice go pick some flowers in the garden, please?"

"Sure, Abe-Abe!" Tiki hopped off Elice's lap, but some of her hair was still caught in the comb. She accidentally pulled a good chunk of hair out of her follicles. "Ow! No one to blame but myself for that one. Come on, Elici!" Tiki skipped out of the room. Elice followed, amazed at Tiki's cheeriness and apparent short attention span.

Marth turned to Abel.

"All right, Abel, you may begin your explanation."

Abel told Marth (under Minerva's verification) of Tiki's growing feelings for him, of the proposal, the failure of the first attempt at transforming him, and of the myth. He specifically detailed his moral dilemma, and how much, in his heart, he wanted to see Tiki happy, but how his body refused.

Marth listened patiently. He thought for a moment.

"I see… quite a dilemma. It seems to me you need something to either override your instinct and body, or to change its mind, as it were. I recommend spending a full 24 hours with Tiki, just the two of you. That way, either your heart's pull towards Tiki will grow so strong your body's rejection will have no influence, or your body and instinct will also develop an attraction to her, and it will no longer reject the infusion. Shall we convey this idea to Tiki, at least the part involving her?"

Abel stared at Marth. "Sire, you always have the best solutions to problems. Yes, let's tell Tiki. I'm sure she'll love the idea."

Marth, Abel, and Minerva went to the garden.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: I'm just cranking these out. Hope I can keep the quality up. I can't think of anything to add here, so… yeah…

Review please~


	6. Ch6: A Day with the Dragon

A/N: Well, Chapter Six! I had originally planned on making a chapter 5x, and a separate chapter six, but I decided to tack 5x onto the beginning of 6. As a result, this chapter's longer than the others, I think.

So sit back and enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Six: A Day With the Dragon

"It's… so pretty, Elici!"

Tiki marveled at the sheer beauty of the Altean gardens. A sea of blues and reds and violets and yellows and oranges and some colors Tiki didn't even recognize! A haven of floral bliss, waving gently in the wind as if to greet her.

"We have special sections for clusters of individual plants. Would you like to see?" asked Elice.

"Oh, yes, please!" said Tiki excitedly. Elice led her to the group section, with groups of the same flower. Tulips, chrysanthemums, petunias, and the like. Tiki looked at each set of flowers, and was interested in one group in particular. She asked Elice what they were.

"Those are white roses. Usually roses are red, but in Altea, this white variety grows. As far as our scholars and merchants can tell, they only grow here. Oddly, if you transplant them to soil outside Altea, they quickly die. It's said that Anri, a famous Altean hero, is protecting our resources so that no one can grow their own white roses, which protects our economy."

Elice knew Tiki wasn't actively listening, but rather that her subconscious was listening, recording the information for later. Tiki picked a white rose and put it in her hair, careful of the small thorns on the stem.

Elice giggled. "You look very cute."

"Thanks, Elici!" Tiki picked a blue flower and gave it to Elice. "Here, you wear this one, it matches your hair."

Elice slid the flower into her hair.

"Why thank you, Tiki." She glanced to the entrance. Marth, Abel, and Minerva were entering the garden.

"A whole 24 hours with me?"

Tiki was suitably ecstatic about the idea. Marth and company had withheld the specific _why_. All she knew was that Abel was going to spend a whole day with her, and that's all that mattered to her.

"That's right, Tiki," said Marth. "You will be a welcome guest at the castle. You can spend 24 hours with Abel, morning, noon, and night. Does that sound fun?"

"Yes, yes it does, Mar-Mar!" Tiki jumped up and hugged Marth.

It surprised him every time, how energetic and affectionate Tiki was. _If this is how she is with me,_ thought Marth, _she must be especially clingy with Abel._ "Well good, Tiki. It starts now. Are you ready?"

Tiki hurried beside Abel, wrapping her right arm around him.

"Of course!" Tiki giggled, incredibly happy with the circumstances. Abel put his left arm around Tiki as well.

"Well, what should we do first?" asked Abel. Tiki glanced around the garden.

"Oh, Abe-Abe, did you see this flower?" Tiki pulled the white rose from her hair. Abel studied it.

"It's white and innocent, but when I look closer, I can see it has a fierce determination and power beneath the pretty exterior. It reminds me of you, Tiki."

Tiki's face flushed red.

"Re-really? Do you really think so?"

Abel took a cursory look around. He noticed that Marth, Elice, and Minerva had left already. Good.

"I think you're more beautiful than words can describe, but, yes, the rose reminds me so much of you. Plus it's as white as you are in dragon form."

Tiki's legs nearly buckled from sheer joy. To hear someone speak so adoringly towards her was happy enough, but it was _Abel_. That made it ten… no, a hundr… thous… infinitely better! She actually wavered backwards a bit from leg weakness.

"Thank you so much, Abe-ame!" Tiki finally did fall backwards, landing on her rear.

"Are you okay??" asked Abel.

"Never better," said Tiki, dazed slightly.

Abel and Tiki spent the day together in this fashion. They visited nearby Talys, and eventually reached the recently disbanded Soothsire thieves' hideout. Julian, former Soothsire, and his subordinate Rickard had taken up residence in the abandoned hideout.

Julian was sitting outside the hideout when he noticed the two friends of his.

"Oy! Abel, Tiki! What brings you two here?" he shouted as he got up.

"Just visiting!" shouted Abel back. "Don't rob us, you little scamp!" he joked.

Julian almost wept, stung. He knew Abel was intentionally nagging on him.

"I told you guys, I'm not a thief anymore! I just live here now!" Julian stopped for a second, watching something behind Abel. "Okay, Rickard, you got it, now give it back."

Abel looked behind him and saw that Rickard had swiped his wallet bag. He hadn't even heard Rickard.

"Aww come on, Chief, just this one?" protested Rickard.

"Not these two, at any rate. They're buddies of mine. Now give him his wallet back."

Rickard tossed Abel's wallet back to him. He checked to make sure nothing was missing.

"I must say," said Abel, "you're quite adept at the thievery. If Julian hadn't said anything, I never would have known."

Rickard perked up, a glint in his eye.

"You really think so? Thank you! You have no idea how much that means to me!" Rickard jubilantly ran back into the hideout, giddy with excitement.

"Aww, that was really nice of you, Abe-Abe," commented Tiki. Abel smiled.

Julian picked Tiki up and held her up high, as a big brother would to his little sister.

"Tiki! How've you been!" Julian said pleasantly. Tiki laughed, and Abel smiled all the more. For all the magic and power and mystery surrounding her, she was still an innocent child, and Abel cherished innocence, having lost his some time ago, roughly when the Dolhr-Grust allied forces killed his brother, Cain.

"I've been good, Julie!" said Tiki excitedly. "How've _you_ been?"

"Oh, just peachy!" Julian set Tiki down. "Wish Lena were here with me, but I haven't seen her in months."

"You loved her, didn't you?" asked Tiki.

"Wh— I didn't say that!"

"You didn't have to. It's written all over your face."

"It is not!" Julian whined.

Tiki laughed. "It is! Admit it!"

"Ergh… fine… I did."

Tiki grinned smugly. "I win again, Julie-ni (1)."

"Curse you, dragon child!" Julian shouted playfully. "One day I'll best you, I swear it!"

Abel watched the fake fight, and couldn't hold back a chuckle from Julian's overreaction. He had to admit, this was definitely helping his dilemma. Already he could feel his heart's yearning for Tiki grow. And it had only been eight hours. _This might actually work,_ thought Abel. _And she's having a good time, which only sweetens the spoils._ That thought gladdened Abel to no end.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: (1) "-ni" refers to an older brother. Thought Julian isn't actually Tiki's older brother, he acts like it. She considers most everyone in the Archanean League at least some extension of her family.

So there you go! Chapter six was a doozy, eh? 1,067 words in the chapter itself. Up to this exact point, exactly 1,180 words total. Nice, eh?

Anyways, thoughts, questions, comments? Review please!


	7. Ch7: We Rule the Night

A/N: Well, now, we made it to seven! When will it end? Whether you see it as torture or a gift, this story's gotta end sometime, but I don't even know when yet!

Oh well. Let's get on with it!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Seven: We Rule the Night

Abel and Tiki spend the remainder of the daylight hours at Julian and Rickard's residence, laughing, telling stories, supping, and otherwise enjoying themselves.

Rickard had become an amateur hunter, and he brought a deer to the hideout he'd killed himself, which Tiki obligingly roasted to perfection. The four dined on the carcass and then adjourned to the quarters for the night.

Rickard and Julian shared a room for the night. They showed Tiki and Abel to their room (which was Julian's on any other night). They thanked Julian and Rickard and bade them good night.

Abel lay on his bed, savoring the feeling of stretching out and allowing his joints to relax and open. Tiki excused herself from the room for a moment, and then Abel was alone. He drifted off to sleep.

He was woken up some time later by wind rushing across his face. He began gathering information. Gravity was now pulling from beneath his feet. Okay. So he was sitting up. Wind blew past him. Maybe the window was open. No big deal. He opened his eyes.

_Okay, maybe it is a big deal._

He was outside. He heard great rhythmic gusts of wind. He looked around. He was sitting on something. A white something. White panels rose into the sides of his vision, then fell back out of it. He turned to look at the panels and saw the most startling news yet.

He was hundreds of feet above the ground.

Abel cringed. Vertigo was something he suffered from time to time, and having suddenly realized he was so high up didn't help. He retched, barely managing to avoid throwing up.

"Abe-Abe, you're awake!" said Tiki's voice. It clicked. Abel was riding on Tiki's back.

"Ti-Tiki? How did we get here?" he asked groggily.

"I picked you up and put you on my back, and I flew out of the hideout, and now we're flying through the night!" Tiki sounded really pleased with something. Because of her calm and pleasant tone, Abel realized his fear of heights was gone.

"Well, thank you for letting me ride y—"

"Hang on tight!"

"Hunh? Why— WAAAH!"

Tiki flew into a barrel roll-loop de loop combo, which Abel barely had time to grab a hold of Tiki for before she catapulted him off. Abel continued to scream, but not from fear, but rather from exhilaration.

"That was great!" he shouted. "Do it again, I'm ready this time!"

Tiki obliged, flying even faster, curling and twisting her body through the air. She laughed jubilantly, and a curious mixture of draconic trills and growls was underlying her tone of voice. Abel howled with wild abandon. This was the most exciting thing he had ever experienced. He felt so free, floating as he was through the air. For one of the most steadfast laws of the world to no longer apply to him was bliss. _This is what it is to be a dragon_, he thought. _To know no one, no thing is your master, to live free and without fear of anything. How could anyone refuse this opportunity?_

They continued like this for what seemed like an eternity, loving each moment more than the last. Abel could feel a profound connection to Tiki, as though their souls existed within one another. He felt what she felt, and his previous, mundane, human-supplied feeling of freedom was amplified a thousandfold by Tiki's natural love of the sky.

Abel knew now for sure he loved Tiki. Just by kidnapping him on a wild, reckless flight through the night, she awakened so much joy within him. He leaned forward and laid his arms on either side of her neck in as much of a hug as he could manage.

"Awww…" said Tiki, humming happily.

Abel sat back up. "No one's in control of us. We can do whatever we want out here."

"Mm hmm."

"We can act with complete impunity."

"Yes we can."

"… Tiki?"

"Yes, Abe-Abe?"

"You know something?" he asked with a definitive heroic undertone.

Tiki caught it. "What's that?" she said, adding a slight growl to her voice. She knew the gist of what he was about to say, and prepared her throat for the oncoming.

Abel shouted, with as much pride as anything he'd ever said, "We rule the night!" and Tiki let out a roar as he did, accentuating his proclamation with the authority of a dragon.

The dragon and her rider flew through the darkness, their love growing with each wingbeat.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Yeah, I know the last line is corny. Leave me alone. I needed a chapter title.

Anyways, there you go. Chapter Seven is over and done with. Don't worry, things get interesting in Chapter Eight.

Review, please!


	8. Ch8: Transmutation Redux

A/N: There's a big plot twist in this chapter! I won't spoil it any more than that, so without further ado, let's get to it!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Eight: Transmutation Redux

After the previous night's flight, Abel decided he was ready for the transformation. He and Tiki ate breakfast (some bread Rickard _claimed_ he bought at a market, for what that was worth) and bade farewell to their two hosts.

Tiki flew Abel back to Altea, where Marth, Elice and Minerva (who had apparently spent the night) greeted them.

"Good morning!" said Marth. "How was it?"

"Oh, we had a great time. We spent the day with Julian and Rickard."

"Oh, those two. How were they?"

They conversed pleasantly on the previous day's events, but Abel chose not to mention the flight. He asked why Minerva was still there, and for a split second, her face was flushed red, then returned to normal.

"I did not wish to return to Macedon quite yet, and Marth… invited me to sleep here in the castle. I accepted."

Abel glanced at Elice, who had a look of knowing resignation, as if she knew something she was a bit disappointed with, but had no control over. Marth and Minerva both adopted body language that just screamed discomfort with Abel's question.

_Marth and Minerva…? No, of course not,_ thought Abel. _But then again…_ "Why did you two… er, why did you let her sleep here, sire?"

"To extend a show of good faith to Minerva, and to forge a bond between Altea and Macedon. Nothing more." Marth was direct, almost daring Abel to question him further. Abel wisely chose not to.

"Well… okay, then. I'm not one to question… that sort of thing."

Tiki, of course, was oblivious to the underlying motivation beneath Marth and Minerva's words. To her, it was a simple sleepover. Probably better she stay that way, really.

"Anyway," continued Abel, "now that we're back, I believe I'm ready to try the blood infusion again."

"You are? Excellent news!" said Marth. "We had Falchion all prepared for the process, as well as everything else we'll need."

Abel realized the gravity of that statement. It meant Marth had been _expecting_ things to work out. Now why would he know that? _Now that I think about it,_ mused Abel, _why would Tiki have suddenly have thought to take me for a flight?_

He cast the thought out of his mind for the time being. Sometimes things were better the less you knew.

Marth led the group to a clean, sterile, white room. A bed, a flaming torch, and several chairs adorned the room.

"Abel," said Minerva, "please lay facedown on the bed." Abel did as he was told.

Elice read from notes she had taken. "Okay, I've studied the myth Tiki supplied us, as well as other physiology texts from our library here in Altea, and I theorize that when we infuse Tiki's dragon blood, your body, Abel, will change such that you will remain human, but you will have grown dragon wings. I'm sorry, Abel, but your bones moving around will be painful, but nothing much else will happen. Do you understand?"

Abel nodded in response. "I do."

Elice continued. "Good. Now then, I shall obtain the blood sample." She carried out the process just like before, only this time, Tiki's blood was heated until it turned green, then was anointed onto the tip of Falchion. Elice touched the tip of the blade to Abel's shoulder, and, with a count of three as a warning, thrusted it in.

Abel cringed in anticipation of the stabbing pain, but there was none. He could feel the heat flooding through his body, coursing through his veins. Then a twang of pain flickered in his chest. One of his lower ribs had begun to move. Then another. And another. Soon, most of his lower ribs were shifting towards the back of his body. It all hurt immensely, as you can imagine sudden skeletal shift does. All Abel knew was pain. Then one last, huge surge of pain, and it all stopped. His bones were still moving, but he could not feel them. It took him a moment to realize he could not feel anything anymore. He felt as if in a dream, in a strange surrounding, and he saw a girl that looked like Tiki, only older.

The girl hugged Abel sadly and said simply, "I'm sorry."

Elice watched as the process took place within Abel's body. He was contorted in pain, twitching, but at least his wings were forming. He made one last large convulsion, then was still.

"Good, he's stopped," said Elice. She picked up a wing gently. "Superbly formed."

Tiki had watched the transformation thoroughly fascinated. She had never seen anything like it before.

"Wow… w-wow…" That was all she could say.

Minerva was situated at the head of the bed. She seemed to have noticed something, but, as usual, kept her mouth shut. She deemed whatever it was irrelevant for the moment.

The transformation was complete.

"Abe-Abe, you did it!" said Tiki. "You're a dragon!" She hugged Abel. He did not hug back.

Elice shook Abel gently. "He must have been knocked out. Abel, wake up." No response.

Marth gently turned Abel over onto his back, careful not to damage his wings. He put an ear to Abel's chest.

"… he's dead," he said solemly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Yeap, I killed Abel off. But don't worry, he's not gone forever. He's not even out of the story for a while. He's still in it. I wouldn't leave you guys out that badly.

(By the way, for those of you who have Shadow Dragon, now is a good time to play the song _A Painful Farewell_ to yourselves. Maybe even _Requiem for the Brave_.)

We're not done yet, I swear! Review!


	9. Ch9: Death of a Paladin

A/N: Stop throwing tomatoes at me! *dodging them* I know I killed Abel, but get over it!

*sigh* Never mind. Just read, will ya?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Nine: Death of a Paladin

"Where am I?" asked Abel.

"You're right here," answered the Tiki look-alike. She didn't look exactly like Tiki, but her clothes and headdress were the same, and her hair was longer.

"Well, then, who are you?" was Abel's next question.

"… I am Nagi."

"Nagi, what did you mean 'we're right here'? Where is 'here'?"

"Here is here. There is no other name for it. You're from there. You came here. Here is where you are…" She pointed to the ground beneath Abel's feet. "… right over there."

Abel rubbed the back of his head. This was proving confusing.

"Am I dead?" he asked.

"Your kind call it death. We call it eternal slumber."

"What's the difference?"

Nagi adjusted her pink full-body shirt. "Slumbers can be prematurely terminated."

Abel focused on his surroundings, but that was difficult, considering it kept changing. The only constants, it appeared, were him and Nagi.

"Space here seems to be—"

"Distorted? Yes. So is time. You might be here three seconds or three hundred million years. Who knows?" said Nagi with a shrug. "I've been here, by my best guess, four trillion millennia. Hard to tell in here, though, may have only been an hour or so. Get it?"

"I think so." Abel stood where he was, bored, which was strange considering he was in a place he'd never been to, with only a divine dragon who'd been there for God knows how long for company. He felt like he was already accustomed to the place. So time really was distorted. "So what do we do for however long we're here?"

Nagi approached Abel. She didn't seem to have any rigid concept of personal space. Perhaps that's how all divine dragons lived, without such inhibitions. Tiki certainly abdicated her personal space almost every chance she got. "It's just us, so let's keep one another company. I can feel you'll be leaving here before I do, and you're my first person to talk to since I can remember."

"Well okay, I suppose so. Be nice if we could sit and talk, but—"

Suddenly, two ornate chairs appeared seemingly from nowhere. Abel stared at them, shocked and confused.

"What's with the…?" he asked.

"Simple. This environment, while ever-changing and unpredictable, is highly suggestible. You mentioned sitting, right? Well, the environment, following a line of probability towards inhabitant suggestion, created two chairs. If you think about sleep, a bed will—"

A bed for two appeared.

"—appear," finished Nagi.

"I get it. So if I think about fruit, then—"

Various fruits such as apples, grapefruit, and pears appeared. Though not on any table or plate, the dimension's strange gravity field held them in place.

"Now you're getting it," commended Nagi. She took an apple and began to eat it. Abel chose a pear.

As he chewed the pear, a horrible realization struck Abel.

"Oh my god, if my soul is here, then what of my body??" he frantically asked.

Nagi considered how best to explain it. "When you went through your transformation, something happened. Feel where your lower ribs would be."

Abel felt his lower ribs, or would have, but they weren't there anymore. He had a thin, almost translucent membrane of skin where they used to be. He recognized it as a dragon's Achilles heel, a soft underbelly.

Nagi continued. "The bones in your wings have to come from somewhere. Most of them shifted around the outside of your body, but one of them shifted the wrong way. It shifted through the middle of your body and ruptured your heart. You died pretty fast, and, well, here you are."

Abel thought of how horrified Tiki would be when she learned of his death. He felt awful for putting her through that. He felt guilty for it, even though it wasn't his fault.

He reached out with his heart, and, with a tear in his eye, said, "_Tiki… I'm sorry_."

"Dead? What do you mean dead?" asked Tiki.

Minerva had figured out what happened the moment Abel's body betrayed him. She'd seen his appearance at that moment and come to that conclusion.

"He means Abel's life has stopped, and won't be returning. Something went wrong during the transformation," she explained.

Tiki laid her hand on Abel's bloody wing.

"Abe-ame… please… you can't go… you can't… I've never met anyone like you, and I never will again… you're the most important person I know… Every moment with you was a happy one. I don't want them to end. Please, don't be dead!!" She was crying, her tears sliding down her cheeks and falling onto Abel's. Her emotions possessed her, and she leaned down and kissed Abel's lifeless lips. Marth, Elice, and Minerva watched, all fully understanding her pain. They had all lost a loved one, and knew how emotional one gets.

As Tiki kissed Abel, she heard a voice. Not in her ears, or even in her head. It seemed to originate from her heart.

It said: _Tiki… I'm sorry._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Dun dun duuunnnnn! Yep. She heard him from beyond the dead!

You didn't think I'd _leave_ him dead, did you? Come on, this story might yet have a happy ending!

Anyways, sorry if I scared you all with Abe-y's death. But that's fiction for you. I had to throw in suspense somewhere, and that was the perfect time.

FYI: I've finish the written portion of this story. It has eleven chapters total plus an epilogue. So we're three-fourths of the way done here!

Review, all you lovely people!


	10. Ch10: A Heart to Heart

A/N: Well, here we are, chapter numero diez. This and chapter eleven are both longer than average chapters, but not by much. So enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Ten: A Heart-to-Heart

Tiki jumped up in surprise.

"Abel??" she gasped. Everyone else looked at her as if she were possessed. Which, admittedly, she might've been.

"… Tiki, are you okay?" asked a worried Elice. "You've had a rough day, and you might be hallucinating from shock."

Tiki stopped to think. _If I say I heard Abe-Abe's voice, they _will_ think I'm hallucinating. But I know I did! I need someone who'll believe me no matter what._ "No, I just… thought I saw his finger move." _Who, though? The only one besides Abe-Abe I could trust with my innermost feelings was Le-cha. But no one's seen her in a long time… maybe Mar-Mar knows._ "Mar-Mar?"

"Yes, Tiki?"

"Do you know where Lena is?"

Marth hesitated. "Before she disappeared, she left me a strange note. Among other things I'd rather not mention right now, it said she left for Macedon. But when I asked Minerva if she'd seen her, she said she hadn't. So no one around here knows for sure."

"Well I really need to talk to her."

"What is so important," said Minerva, "that you can't tell us?"

Tiki shied away slightly, retreating like a turtle would into her shell. "Because you won't believe me, and I'm serious about this."

Minerva could tell that whatever was addling Tiki, she wasn't kidding about. Tiki's distraught expression attested to that. She knelt by Tiki.

"Tiki, you can tell me anything, and I promise I'll treat it with all due seriousness."

Tiki sniffled. "Promise?"

"I never go back on my word. I promise."

Relieved, Tiki gave Minerva a quick hug. "Thank you. The thing I was talking about is that… I… I heard Abel's voice in my heart."

Minerva stared at Tiki, thinking, letting the gravity of her statement sink in.

"I see," she responded. "You hear Abel's voice in your heart, you say… Perhaps he's found a way to contact you from beyond the grave. Try replying to him."

"How?"

"I don't know. Imagine you can see him, look inside your heart, do something."

So Tiki looked inside her heart, and she naturally expanded its emotional range. She said, "_Abe-ame?_"

"I don't think she can hear you, Abel."

Abel sat on the bed. "I know, but I felt like trying." He lay down on his back. Nagi lay beside him.

"So what compelled you to alter your blood like you did?" asked Nagi, removing her headdress.

"… do you know Tiki personally?"

"Maybe. I have trouble remembering stuff like that. The name sounds familiar from before I met you."

"Well, I'm positive I love her, and I want to be with her. Not only that, but I've learned that dragons seem to have this air of pride and freedom about them, and I wanted to share in her joy."

"Hmm… unfortunate that it worked out this way, isn't it?" Nagi removed the obi-like belt cinching her clothes to her body.

"Yes it is. I just wish—"

Abel stopped. A familiar voice within him spoke: _Abe-ame?_

"Something wrong, Abel?" asked Nagi.

"I heard Tiki… from wi-within me…"

"… heartspeak. Also known more commonly as a heart-to-heart conversation. Congratulations, Abel. You've stumbled upon an ability rare even among the royal family of the divine dragon clan."

Abel blinked. "Then why do I have it? I'm not royal blooded."

Nagi grinned slyly. "You are now, courtesy of Tiki. You're just as much royalty as she is now."

"I… am?"

"Mm hmm."

Abel stopped to consider the implications of what he'd done. He'd thrust himself into so many unknowns. Unknown politics, unknown powers, unknown family even. Then again, because Tiki was the last surviving divine dragon, it didn't seem to matter as the race was expiring anyway.

It then occurred to Abel that he could have helped Tiki revive the clan. If only he hadn't died, then he could have done so much good! But it was a little late now. Instead, he contented himself with asking Nagi some questions.

"Nagi, could you explain some things to me?" he asked.

"Of course."

He proceeded to ask Nagi about politics, biology, and other topics relative to the divine dragons. As she explained, the current alpha male and female chose the next-in-line just prior to their death, and no one was allowed to dispute their decision. This was to ensure no power play took place to try to steal the positions. In the rare case that both the alpha male and female died suddenly and unexpectedly, then a test was given to all those willing to take the position to determine the next two.

Nagi then explained—as she knew Abel was curious, even if he wouldn't admit it—the intricacies of dragon mating. Abel's face flushed as he listened, as his imagination supplied the visual aids to accompany Nagi's words, using himself and Tiki as the examples. She explained both the human and dragon varieties of the act. The human variety involved a minor mating dance to attract and arouse the mate, and it then proceeded into the actions Abel was familiar with. Abel was surprised to learn that the female generally dominated the human-variety mating of divine dragons, but it was not uncommon for the male to assume that role.

The dragon variety was more for heat-of-passion moments, because, in dragon forms, the hormones coursing through the body were more active and influential. Dragons engaged in mating tended to lose sight of all else until the activity was completed. It tends to last several hours in this form.

After that vivid lesson, to allow Abel's face to cool down, Nagi explained the reproduction itself. The mother lays her eggs in a makeshift nest made of whatever works for the size of the egg(s). Both father and mother shared all responsibility in the growth and care of offspring. Nagi took that moment to stress that, in almost all facets of life, male and female dragons were considered all but equals. Gender had no influence on one's ability to perform a task.

Abel asked a question that had been nagging on him for some time.

"Excuse me. If Tiki and I were the only two divine dragons left alive to breed, doesn't that mean our first generation of children will have to… engage in…"

"Incest? Yes. Though it's not as bad as you think it is. Humans have a fierce taboo against such a thing, but we dragons do not. If brother and sister, if cousin and cousin, if mother and son, if father and daughter, if any two should fall in love, then we allow such a love to bloom. If your human side still is adverse to this, my suggestion is to have lots of children with Nagi so it seems less creepy to you.

"Fortunately for you, though, children born of incest among our clan do not suffer from any kind of birth defect, as incest-born humans tend to."

That revelation alone astounded Abel. It also relieved him. _So things might work out if I _can_ escape from here. But how do I do that?_

He decided now was a good time to reply to Tiki's earlier message, because he'd gotten sidetracked enough as it was. He extended his heart and said, "_Yes, Tiki. I'm sorry that took so long. I am able to speak with you. I think I know how to solve our problem. Tell Elice to…_"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: I made all that dragon stuff up. I don't want to be too hard on Abel and Tiki.

Abel's got a plan, people! Yay! Tune in next time to see what it is! Same time, same website! Review~


	11. Ch11: The Power of Aum

A/N: Three chapters in one update? It's a Christmas miracle! … wait… it's not Christmas…. Never mind that. But the point is, this is the final actual chapter of this story! … not including the epilogue, but you get the point!

Let's finish this thing!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Eleven: The Power of Aum

"Any luck?" asked Minerva.

"Nothing yet," responded Tiki glumly. She had hoped the voice she heard was Abel's actual voice, but now she was questioning whether she had even really heard anything. She would have for longer, but then she heard another message:

_Yes, Tiki. I'm sorry that took so long. I am able to speak with you. I think I know how to solve our problem. Tell Elice to get her Recover and Aum staves. Let me know when you do._

Tiki perked up. She wasn't nuts after all!

"I heard him! I heard him!" she shouted.

"You did?" asked Elice. "What'd he say?"

"He told me to tell you to get your Recover and Aum staves."

Elice smacked herself in the head. "Of course. Why didn't I think of it sooner?" she hurried off.

Minerva grinned. "He finally figured it out? Took him long enough."

Tiki wondered how Minerva was so perceptive. She seemed to always be one step ahead of everyone else. She ignored it for now and contented herself with the thought that her Abe-ame, her cherished love Abel was returning to her!

"So you've found a way to return to… er, there?" asked Nagi.

Abel finished the pear he'd created earlier. "Yes, I have. My lord's sister, Elice, will heal my body with Recover magic and then revive me with Aum. It's a holy staff that can revive one deceased person. We found it during the Altean War."

"I see." Nagi seemed uncomfortable, anxious. She looked away and kicked her feet on the ground. "Abel. I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes?"

Nagi sighed. "I've been here so long I've forgotten what it's like there. And I believe if I touch you as you leave…"

"… you'll come with me," finished Abel. "Of course. You can come with me, Nagi. How could I say no?"

Abe-abe…

"There she is again! _Yes, Tiki?_"

Elice is ready to start. Are you ready to come home?

"_Almost. Give me a minute, please._"

Abel turned back to Nagi. "Nagi, are you—GAH NAKED." He staggered backwards. Nagi had removed all her clothes.

"Yes. I am. Trust me."

Abel's heart, and, admittedly, his hormones, were racing. But she'd been nothing but trustworthy since he'd met her, so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Okay. I trust you," he replied calmly. He tried not to look at Nagi.

Nagi wrapped her arms around Abel and indicated she was ready.

"_Ready, Tiki._"

_Okay! I'll tell Elice to bring you home._

Abel waited, and soon the floaty dream feeling flooded over him. He could tell Nagi felt it too, but he was not sure how. Slowly, they started to become weightless, being drawn from the inter-dimensional space…

Elice checked the storage. This storage space in the church held various magic staves collected as spoils of war. She flicked through the set. _Heal, Mend, Physic, Barrier, Warp, Fortify…Ah, here we go. Recover._ She took the Recover staff and walked down the stairs to the basement. She slid an ornate key from around her neck into an equally ornate lock. Inside the room the lock guarded was an altar. Upon the altar was a stand. And upon the stand was a staff. A long, beautiful wooden staff adorned with a golden star. Aum. Recovered from the Dolhr Resurrectory, now housed deep within the Altean church. And soon to be used to revive a knight of Altea who deserved a second chance.

Because of its single use limitation, Elice had vowed to herself not to use it on anyone who had died in the war. Not even Merric, childhood friend to Marth and herself. For some reason, according to Marth, Merric had dearly wanted to see Elice again after he joined the Archanean League. But he was killed before he had the chance. Elice wanted to revive him, to find out what he wanted to see her for, but had decided that would be selfish, and Merric himself would chastise her for that.

No, better to let those who died for Altea rest in peace and honor. Abel on the other hand had died in an accident, through no fault of his own, so Elice decided to spend Aum to bring him back. She took the staff from its stand and returned to the castle.

There, Marth, Tiki and Minerva waited for her. Tiki was anxious to get it done. She was conversing with Abel, telling him that Elice was ready to go. She waited another minute or two, then said, "_Okay! I'll tell Elice to take you home._"

Elice stood by Abel's body and steeled herself for the process. She had done some simple healings, but nothing this harrowing before. First was the easy part. She used Recover on Abel's body. That mended the damage to his heart.

Now was the hard part, because no one had ever tried it before. Who knew if it would even work? Elice was determined to make the first and only test ever a successful one. She activated the magic of the staff, directing it to Abel's soul and body. The holy magic began drawing Abel from the void.

As she revived Abel, Tiki smiled impishly. She approached his body and leaned toward him…

The transition from lifelessness to vigor is not unpleasant. Just strange. But the reentry into your body is a very very pleasant experience. The body, soul, and mind are all happy to be alive and reunited that a general wave of pleasant feeling washes over the body. Think of a heated blanket for sore muscles. Now imagine the heat was pure joy. Now imagine that was just over one cell on your skin and that each individual cell had that joy blanket. Yeah.

Abel could feel himself being reintegrated into his body. He honestly couldn't tell if Nagi was still with him, but two words echoed in his mind. _Trust me._

He slowly became aware of reality. He saw, heard, felt, and smelled, but one stimulus Abel detected overrode all others.

The sweet, familiar, and delicious taste of Tiki's lips.

Abel seized the moment and returned the kiss, sliding his tongue into the loving mouth placed upon his. Tiki received this with a small squeak of pleasure, and let Abel do his work. What a welcome back to life it was. _Lovely wake-up call_, said a voice in his head. It wasn't his, nor was it Tiki's, but it was familiar.

_Nagi?_ thought Abel.

_Yep._ Abel could see a clear image of Nagi in his mind, talking to him. _I can feel, see, hear, taste, and smell what you do._

Abel realized that he'd have a crystal clear image of her naked form in his mind for all eternity. _Why were you naked again? You never did tell me why._

_Because if I had clothes on, you would see nothing where they were. You would see a disembodied head, arms, and legs._ This entire conversation took place in an instant, running at the speed of thought.

_Well great. Glad you're here. Wipe your feet and make yourself useful. Amplify this feeling for me._

_Can do_, said Nagi.

After a minute, Tiki pulled away, a thin trail of saliva connecting their mouths.

"Welcome back," she said softly.

"Glad to be back, Tiki." They returned to their kiss.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: And so concludes the main story. But, again, epilogue!

Yes, Abel gets to have Nagi for all eternity in his mind. She likes it there, don't worry. At least she can experience the real world now, if only through Abel. She can take over his voice, and, for a small amount of time, his body too.

Happy ending, happy ending, happy ending! I couldn't bear to make it sad. Sorry.

What'd you think?


	12. Epilogue

A/N: Let's wrap this story up! We've come far, but we have to end it now. So here we go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Epilogue

Abel told his friends about the strange void he had inhabited with Nagi, as well as her new residence within his mind. He also told them about all the things Nagi told him, making sure everyone understood the situations at hand. Marth and Elice (almost creepily simultaneously) suggested Abel and Tiki marry, to which Abel's face flushed red. Tiki, on the other hand, was jubilant. Nagi took control of Tiki's voice to quickly explain that Tiki could not bear children until she was twelve. After Abel's flushing calmed down, he mentally decided that he would indeed marry Tiki.

Elice was surprised to discover that Aum's single charge had not been expended. Nagi explained that while she was being transferred with Abel, she felt a sharp drop in her life force. Apparently, instead of expending its own energy, Aum had taken the energy from a wandering soul that happened to be around, in this case Nagi. Although she apologized for taking Nagi's life force without her permission (Nagi didn't mind), Elice breathed a sigh of relief, and she noticed that Marth did as well. They both admitted they wanted Merric back from the dead. Elice, after careful consideration, did in fact bring him back, but that's the subject of another story.

Minerva agreed to stay in Altea for the wedding of Abel and Tiki, but made it abundantly clear that she was leaving immediately afterward. No one dared protest.

In attendance at the wedding were Marth, Minerva, Elice, Merric (who almost didn't believe Elice when she caught him up with the lovers' story), and the three Whitewings, Palla, Catria, and Est. Word apparently spread far and fast, because Lena even showed up. She insisted on sitting next to Marth. Tiki asked why, and Marth explained that in the note she had left, Lena had (sheepishly) admitted she loved him.

Abel waited patiently at the altar for Tiki. He mentally conversed with Nagi as he waited. Then he saw her, ravishing in her slightly-too-big-for-her white dress. When she reached the altar, the priest had them say their vows, which, because they were able to, they spoke in both English and draconic (Nagi helped Abel).

When Abel was told to kiss the bride, he lifted Tiki up, sat her on his forearm, and kissed her, holding her in place. The requisite cheering and applauding followed, and the bouquet was thrown. Even though he wasn't paying attention, Merric caught it in his applauding hands. He glanced at Elice and hid his face in embarrassment. Elice giggled.

To better support himself and Tiki, Abel left the Altean military and opened up a shop. A few months following, a thief attempted to make off with some goods. Abel caught the thief and discovered it was Rickard. Rickard was panicking until he saw that his captor was an old friend, and Abel let him off easy and shared a laugh with him.

Tiki and Abel (and thus, Nagi) had a quiet but happy life together from that point on, for a few years anyway. When Tiki reached her twelfth birthday four years later, she and Abel had their delayed honeymoon. Tiki bore a son, whom they named Zuni. But yet again, that's the subject of another story.

Apologies for the termination of this yarn, but I have spoken my fill. Perhaps you will hear of Merric's and Zuni's stories in later times. Who knows? The next time we meet, the Nara clan might have regained its former glory. Time will tell. Always has. Always will.

~Fin~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Sorry for the self-insertion at the end. (I fancied myself as somewhat of a bard telling this story, but ah well.)

Indeed, I am putting together the structure framework for a sequel telling the tale of Abel and Tiki's children, but I'm not ready by any means to publish anything yet. Maybe in a week or so. We'll see.

We're done! Final thoughts, anyone? Read, reflect, review! The three R's of ! But I came up with them so I'll get royalties for each pageview of the site if they use it!

… or not.

Anyways, I suppose I'm done here.

So… Bye~!


End file.
